Keep Deer From Devouring Your Yard!
They’re big. They’re hungry. And they can eat an amazing volume in a few hours.
No, I’m not talking about your teenage son. I’m talking about deer.
While they share many similarities, deer pose a much greater threat to your garden than a pack of adolescents. To compound the potential landscape damage of these animals with big appetites, deer usually travel in groups, from two to a dozen or more. A healthy breeding pair of deer can produce a herd of 35 in just 7 years. Under optimal conditions, deer herds double in size annually. The hockey team has nothing on these hooved intruders!
With all those munching mouths, what are the best ways to keep deer from eating your carefully tended yard and garden? Different approaches are effective with different individuals and situations. Here are several proven options.
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Smells like a Scary Predator
Deer survive by being aware of potential threats. Predators rank high on this list. Depending on where you live in the country, mountain lions, bears, wolves, bobcats or coyotes may be included on the list of local deer predators. Scent-based natural deer repellents include ingredients like fox or coyote in their solution. The smells of these carnivores make deer believe a hungry hunter is lurking nearby. Fearing for their safety, the deer look for less dangerous sites.
Tastes Bad, Feels Bad
Would you eat a salad covered with a bitter or a burning hot coating? Typically, deer won’t either.
Deer have front teeth on their bottom jaws but not on the top. When these grazers bite off a leaf, the bottom teeth crush the leaf against the bony plate on the top of the mouth. Stinging hot natural repellents come in direct contact with this soft tissue. It does not feel great, and no deer is apt to try it twice. Deer also have long tongues with lots of taste buds that amplify tastes. This anatomical arrangement makes bitter tasting repellents especially effective.
Smells Foul
There are many herbs, spices, and other scents that deer detest. The list includes rosemary, sage, garlic, peppermint oil, fish, eggs, eggshells, blood meal (Milorganite) and more. Field tested blends of these ingredients have demonstrated excellent effectiveness as natural deer deterrents and they are not overly bothersome to the human nose.
Timing is Key
This method is all about prevention and acting early. Animals are creatures of habit that tend to establish home territories. If deer have moved into your yard, encourage them to go elsewhere before they get too comfortable. Once deer see your space as their home turf, it is harder to move them along. So don’t wait to enact any of the other methods.
Double Up for Fastest Results
To avoid having deer view your perennial bed as a delightful café, combine repellents for a fast, effective one-two punch. Our customer feedback confirms that combining several forms of repellent produces the speediest results. Try a scented granular with a leaf-coating spray, or either of those products with Repels All. Remember, you don’t want the deer to get too comfy.
Bambi’s sweet and he’s got to eat. Persuade him to do that far from your yard with natural deer repellents.
